George D. Zamka
| date_death | birth_place =Jersey City, New Jersey | death_place = | occupation =Test Pilot | rank =Colonel, USMC | selection =1998 NASA Group | time = 28 days, 20 hours, 32 minutes | mission = STS-120, STS-130 | insignia = }} George David "Zambo" Zamka (born 1962) is an American NASA astronaut and United States Marine Corps pilot with over 3500 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft. Zamka piloted the [[Space Shuttle Discovery|Space Shuttle Discovery]] in its October 2007 mission to the International Space Station and served as the commander of mission STS-130 in February 2010. Personal George David Zamka was born in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1962. He was raised in New York City; Irvington, New York; Medellin, Colombia,; and Rochester Hills, Michigan. He graduated from Rochester Adams High School in Michigan in 1980. Zamka is married and has two children. His extended family resides in Colorado, Mississippi, Georgia, Indiana, Florida and Tennessee. Zamka is of ColombianNASA Hispanic Astronauts and Polish ancestry.Astronaut George Zamka in Poland Military career Zamka graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the United States Naval Academy in 1984. He was then commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. He received A-6E Intruder training at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington in 1985-1987. He was assigned to VMA(AW)-242 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California. In addition to flight safety and administration, he was a Squadron Weapons and Tactics instructor. In 1990, he trained as an F/A-18D Hornet pilot and was then assigned to VMFA(AW)-121. Zamka flew 66 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm. In 1993, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California as a forward air controller. In December 1994, he graduated from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, following which, he served as an F/A-18 Hornet test pilot and operations officer. In 1997, he earned a Masters of Science degree in Engineering Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. In 1998, he returned to VMFA(AW)-121 and deployed to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan. In August 2010, Zamka retired from the Marine Corps after almost 30 years of distinguished service. Zamka now works for Bigelow Aerospace as Director of BA330 Crew and Cargo Program. The company's goal is making habitable space stations affordable for corporate communities. NASA career In June 1998, Zamka was selected for the NASA astronaut program, and reported for training in August. He served as lead for the Shuttle training and procedures division and as supervisor for the astronaut candidate class of 2004. Zamka made his first spaceflight as the pilot of mission STS-120, and second as the commander for STS-130. Awards and honors Zamka has received the following honors and awards: the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Strike Air Medal (6), Navy Commendation Medal with Combat "V", and various other military service and campaign awards. Distinguished Graduate, U.S. Naval Academy. Commodore’s list and Academic Achievement Award, Training Air Wing Five. Recipient of the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, two NASA Space Flight Medals, four NASA Superior Accomplishment Awards and the GEM Award. He received also Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2010).Odznaczenie dla astronauty George’a Zamki M.P.2011 Nr 12 poz. 130 Promotional activities In March 2008, Zamka visited Colombia's Planetarium of Bogotá with the crew of mission STS-120 to share their experience as NASA astronauts with 200 students, 50 teachers, and 20 science major experts.http://imagiverse.org/resources/explore/forero.htm Zamka visits Bogota's planetarium See also *Hispanics in the United States Marine Corps *Hispanics in the United States Naval Academy *List of Hispanic astronauts Notes References :This article incorporates text in the public domain from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a U.S. government agency. * Astronaut Bio: George D. Zamka, NASA, June 2006. Retrieved on 2006-06-25. *NASA Appoints Crew for Space Station Mission, UPI, 2006-06-20. Retrieved on 2006-06-25. *Spacefacts biography of George D. Zamka External links Category:1962 births Category:Living people Category:American astronauts Category:United States Marine Corps astronauts Category:American people of Polish descent Category:People of Colombian descent Category:People from Jersey City, New Jersey Category:People from Rochester Hills, Michigan Category:United States Naval Academy alumni Category:U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School alumni Category:Florida Institute of Technology alumni Category:United States Marine Corps officers Category:United States Naval Aviators Category:American military personnel of the Gulf War Category:American test pilots Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Category:Recipients of the Air Medal Category:Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Category:People from Irvington, New York